Lead found in drinking water at two Marblehead schools

Unacceptable levels of lead were found in the water of drinking fountains at two different schools upon first-round testing, but public officials said the issue is being addressed.

Andrew Petty told the Board of Health during a recent meeting that several water fountains and sinks in both the Eveleth and Bell schools were “taken off line,” after initial water tests showed higher than acceptable levels of lead, and in at least two cases extremely higher levels.

“There have been a few problems,” Petty said in the Tuesday, July 23 meeting.

According the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “If more than 10 percent of tap water samples exceed the lead action level of 15 parts per billion” then action needs to be taken.

Upon the first round of testing in Lower Bell, the sink in Room 6 tested at a blisteringly high 264 ug/L. According to Water and Sewer Superintendent Amy McHugh, ug/L is micrograms per liter, which works out to .0015 parts per billion.

“It would be 1 gram in my water tank,” she said by way of explanation.

However, in a second-round test that includes letting the water run for 30 seconds prior to testing, the level dropped dramatically to a below acceptable level of 10.5 ug/L.

McHugh said water must sit in the pipes for at least six hours before the first round of testing. The follow-up includes running the water or flushing the lines for 30 seconds then testing again.

The bubbler in Room 1 and sinks in Room 5 and the nurse’s office, also in Lower Bell, also tested high initially at 15.2 ug/L, 20.3 and 31.2 respectively but dropped to 2.68, 3.99 and 5.25 after flushing.

In Upper Bell only one bubbler, in Room 105, tested high coming in at 19.2 ug/L, but upon flushing the system it tested at an acceptable 5.90.

At the Eveleth School bubblers in E105 and E107 both tested very high on the first round with levels coming in at 59.9 and 27.5 micrograms per liter, but again after the water was run for 30 seconds levels dipped dramatically to 3.97 and 3.55 respectively.

“As you can see they all dropped well below acceptable levels on the second tests,” she said. “Sometimes you flush for 30 seconds and see no change. That’s a problem.”

Petty said all the sinks and bubblers in question were immediately shut down and taken off line.

All tests can be found on the town’s Water Department website at www.marblehead.org/index.aspx?NID=1130.

Petty said the town has taken advantage of expanded water testing offered by the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA),which, according to Superintendent Maryann Perry, means every drinking fountain and food preparation sink was included.

According to the EPA, young children are particularly vulnerable to lead because even low levels can have a greater impact on kids than adults. The EPA advises that even low levels of lead can result in behavior and learning problems, lower IQ and hyperactivity, slowed growth, hearing problems or anemia.

McHugh said on Wednesday first-round testing had been completed at the remaining schools and all results were below acceptable levels.

As for the Eveleth and Bell schools, Petty told the Board of Health, “We will continue to test and try and locate the problem.”

Petty said there are no lead pipes in any of the schools or service pipes leading into the schools, but the problem could be with the fixtures or repairs done over the years. McHugh said lead soldering was often used in the 1980s as were brass fixtures. Water also absorbs the lead, so if it sat in the pipes unmoving for any length of time, the levels would be higher, she explained.

“There is not a lot of high use in the (Eveleth) nurse’s office,” Petty said. “So it could be that.”

Petty said it used to be that when people first turned on the tap they would let the water run for a few minutes until it was cold.

“We’ve gotten away from that, because everyone is trying to conserve water, every drop is precious,” he said. “But we should still let the water run until it’s cold to flush out the pipes.”

Board of Health Chairman Michelle Gottlieb said she understands that Bell School parents are concerned, because children used the water fountains to fill their water bottles. She urged any parent who is worried to get their child tested.

“It’s really the only way anyone can be reassured,” she said.

Petty said a letter has been sent to area physicians alerting them to the situation and asking them to address parents’ concerns with appropriate testing if it is requested.

“We will continue testing all the schools,” Petty said, adding that the letter to physicians as well as a copy of the letter sent to parents, test results and additional links and information on lead and its potential impact can all be found on the Marblehead Public Schools at www.marbleheadschools.org/. McHugh said the MWRA is also an excellent source of information and it can be found at www.mwra.com .